Parochial Reports

The Parochial Report was established by the Constitution and Canons of the National Church as a tool for the collection of data that is intended to assist the Church in planning for mission. All necessary forms and workbooks, in English, Spanish and French, are available here.

We at the diocesan office would also like to use the data to provide timely information about a congregation's finances and membership over a given time period and what the trends may mean for the future. We have begun to move towards this goal.

Please remember however that our data is only as accurate as the information you give us.

To file online go here and then enter the userid and PIN that was issued for the congregation. In case you forgot your PIN or you need any assistance completing the form, please contact the Controller’s Office via the link to the right of your screen.

PLEASE NOTE THAT PAROCHIAL REPORTS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED ON OR BEFORE MARCH 01 OF EACH YEAR.

Among other points, Section 1 of National Canon I.6 says this about the National Parochial Report:

The principle purpose of the National Parochial Report is to secure an accurate view of the state of the Episcopal Church.

In every parish the preparation and delivery of this Report is the joint duty of the Rector (or Priest-in-Charge) and the Vestry.

The Report shall be sent to the Diocese in duplicate no later than March 1.

The designers of this report were guided by these objectives:

The need for the reports to be structured and worded so as to provide the responsible bodies within the Church the ability to comply with their assigned functions.

Developing financial and vital statistics related to the Church’s life and ministry, which will furnish leadership within the Church the information needed to accomplish their tasks; and for assessment of the State of the Church.

Furnishing the Church with the information needed to enable effective mission planning and evaluation of the Church’s performance at all levels of its structure (international, national, provincial, diocesan, and local).

The need for the Church at all levels to see these reports as contributing to the essential aspects of mission; not just as a “tax report” to be filled out that has little or no relevance to the entity completing the report.

Some parts of the Report where errors have been common in the past are these:

Membership, Attendance and Services

The beginning number of baptized members in the Report for the most recent year must be the same as the ending figure for the previous year. You can make any necessary adjustments in the increases and decreases.

Stewardship and Financial Information

Rental income from outside sources included on line 5 should be net of any expenses incurred by the parish.

Total Operating Revenues (Line B) should be at least as great as operating expenses (Line E). If they are not, an explanation should be provided with the Report.

The Parochial Report can be filed electronically. Please contact the controller or the IT manager via the links to the right of your screen for the necessary parish ID number and password.

Management Uses of the Parochial Report

An analysis of the data contained in the National Parochial Reports of a given parish over a period of years, particularly when that data, by mutual agreement, is compared with data from parishes in the same general category, can be useful for management purposes. Some of the indicators that may be of value are the annual growth rates of average Sunday attendance, baptized members, and communicants; any change in the ratio of baptized members to communicants; any change in average annual pledge and plate revenues per average attendant, adjusted for inflation; parish operating expenses per average attendant; grants and outreach as a percent of total expenditures; growth in parish funds.